Silver Medallion Status

This is one of those funny little stories of God’s blessings that both amaze and amuse me. He has put things together so well for me in preparation for this trip. His strong hand of providence has been on me over the past 5 weeks. I often laugh at this goodness and my inability to anticipate it and trust in it.

So, “randomly,” four months ago, before M was even a glint in my eye, I received a letter from Delta Airlines congratulating me on attaining Silver Medallion status. I almost threw away the envelop because I was sure it was junk mail, (and I’ll ashamedly admit that I almost threw it away after I opened it because I didn’t know what it was.) I knew it had something to do with SkyMiles (frequent flier miles), but I really don’t have a ton of those because I almost always choose the cheapest flight I can find, so I wouldn’t have anticipated a big upgrade from any particular airline. So I set it in my junk pile and forgot about it.

A month or two later, still before plans for M were developed, I booked a trip to a wedding in Indiana. I booked on Delta because I had a free flight (my first ever…). I was excited about the trip back to Indiana, but I didn’t know the extent to which that trip would be helpful to me, until a few weeks later. When I got the invitation to go to M, and then the request for me to get there within 5 weeks, my little brain began to work overtime. In that short amount of time, I had to quit my job (and train someone else to take over my few administrative duties), wrap-up my work with the refugees and ensure that the organization had enough support to continue in my absence (in both cases, the people taking up my slack were bright and hardworking, so this was not quite the trial I make it out to be); move myself and my stuff; and lastly get ready for a year in Africa—not exactly something one does every month.

So when it came time to go to Indiana, I knew I needed to take as much stuff with me, to put in the trunk of my little sister’s car (she goes to school in Indiana) as possible. That’s when I remembered that I had signed up to fly with Delta and they charge for each checked bag. I logged on to the website to check prices. I was feeling a little discouraged at the thought of having to fly home with all my stuff and how much that would cost me (since I was going to sell my car—a 26 hour drive on a limited time frame didn’t appeal to me at all). That’s when I saw it. The small print that announced that Silver, Gold, and Platinum medallion members could check 2 bags for free. Problem solved. I packed my bags, headed to Indiana, and had a great time there.

When I got back to Utah, I booked my flight home on Delta, so that I could take advantage of the free baggage allowance. The weeks flew by, and before I knew it, I was attempting to pack my bags. And there was just no way it was all going to fit. So I sent a couple boxes home via FedEx; packed some more; sent another 2 boxes home. The day before I left I called Delta to see what a third bag would cost ($125). Having already spent a small fortune in FedEx shipping, I wasn’t looking forward to mailing more things home. So like any good irrational person, I decided that though the situation looked hopeless, I could make it happen. That afternoon, I got an email from Delta announcing that I had been upgraded to first-class for the first leg of my trip from Salt Lake to LA (yet another perk of my Silver Medallion Status); but while this was a nice thought, it was only an hour of the trip, and I would be flying coach for the long part of my trip. Besides, I was too busy worrying about accomplishing the impossible to have time to celebrate such trivial rewards…

The day flew by, and the next morning I woke up to the grim reality that my luggage was not going to fit and that I was going to have to go back to the FedEx store, where they were beginning to think of me as a regular. Defeated, I sat down at my computer to check-in for my flight. When I reached the scroll down menu for checked bags, I noticed that a “(free)” was listed next to 3 bags. I flipped to the baggage allowance page—oh, yes! First-class fliers get 3 free 70lbs. bags (but only if you are flying first-class on your first leg). The life of a high-roller. Again, problem solved.

And really, when I look back over the past five weeks, I feel like I have been flying first-class the whole way. Though I’ve worked hard and things have been busy and emotionally hard, the Lord has put things together so well. Two more quick stories of His Providence.

The first took place on that trip to Indiana. I ran into a couple with whom I’ve stayed in casual contact. They told me excitedly about how they read one of my emails about M, and were excited to support me financially. They explained that 2 years ago they had felt God laying Coco Hospital on their hearts. They felt that He was telling them to purchase a generator for the hospital. They were all set to buy it, but drug their feet a little and someone else bought it before them. They felt they had missed a very clear directive from the Lord. When they received my email, they felt like God had given them another chance to invest in Coco Hospital. So they wrote me a check covering the amount of my tickets over there. And this wasn’t the last big check I received.

Throughout the weeks following, two additional couples gave me $1,000 checks. I was blown away, humbled, and so grateful. But these people knew that I was raising funds. I received a card from a co-worker who only knew that I was volunteering, not the extent of my financial need, and she had tucked $500 into the card. Again, I was so thankful.

And I should pause here to say that I’m not advocating some type of prosperity gospel here. (Claim first-class and you’ll get first-class.) It’s not because I claimed God’s goodness or “riches” that He blessed me (in fact, it was in spite of my lack of confidence that He blessed me). And it wasn’t because I’m some holy-rolling, saint on a mission to help the poor. I hope to be doing this type of thing for the rest of my life, and I doubt that I will always be flying first-class. Rather it is because of His unmerited goodness, and because when He brings us up against the impossible, He will mobilize whatever resources He needs to, in order to assist us in accomplishing His will and advancing His Kingdom. And as O.B. O’Brien told me just before leaving Salt Lake—the scary part of all of this is that when God orchestrate things so clearly, He does so because He has a purpose for you where you are headed, and sometimes that includes big challenges. (O.B. would know, having spend years overseas…so gee O.B….thanks for the encouragement!)

So here I sit, writing to you from my first-class seat—my second this month. (Don’t worry the flight is only an hour—so I’m not getting completely spoiled.) As of Sunday, the total amount needed for my trip had been raised in either one-time gifts or in monthly pledges. I’m truly blessed, truly humbled by His goodness, and grateful for His Providence and for those whom He has used. I could not have guessed all this five weeks ago, when I decided to quit my job, move to Africa, and live on donations during a time of economic down turn.